News and Events and Giveaways, Oh, My!

This coming Friday, I'm delighted to be visiting Book Passage in Corte Madera to meet with their teen reading group, Must Be 14, to discuss MANOR OF SECRETS.  The event will begin at 6 pm, and I've heard rumors there will be tea and scones!

On Thursday, April 10, I will be doing a special one-day giveaway of an ARC of BRAZEN, just for fun.  All day (until midnight EST), you can leave a page number in the comments of the blog, and I will reply with just one sentence from that page.  Every comment will count toward the drawing!  Looking forward to seeing you there!

And right now, Penguin is offering FIVE galleys of BRAZEN to entrants on Goodreads.  The giveaway ends April 1.

Finally, the most fun I've had so far this year was also the rainiest weekend California has seen in a long time.  I was invited by the Canyon Hills branch of the Anaheim Public Library to give a book talk and was utterly blown away by the welcome I received.  I got to have dinner with some lovely ladies from the Friends of the Orange County Libraries, a personal tour of Founder's Park in Anaheim, and an enthusiastic, inquisitive crowd at the book talk.  I can't thank all of them enough.

Founder's Park Carriage House

The library hosted an Edwardian
hat contest in honor of
MANOR OF SECRETS.

Many, many thanks to Margaret Cargo for extending the invitation, to Cynthia Hicks, the head librarian at Canyon Hills, the Friends of the Library, and all of the people who ventured out on that cold, wet day!

Happy New Year Giveaway!

So how many of you out there are looking forward to 2014?  For me, this past year has gone by in a blur, so it comes as a surprise that we are at the end of it.  And that there is only a month until MANOR OF SECRETS is out in the world. (for information about the launch party, see here.)

To celebrate, I'm giving away not only a signed ARC of MANOR OF SECRETS, but also two books by the amazing authors who read it early and provided blushingly enthusiastic blurbs.  I'm a keen enthusiast of the 1920's, so of course I had gobbled up both Jillian Larkin's VIXEN and Teri Brown's BORN OF ILLUSION when they were published.  I'm delighted to be able to share them with you, too.

From Goodreads:  If you love The Great Gatsby, you'll want to read the Flappers series.
Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination.

From Goodreads: From Teri Brown comes a world bursting with magic, with romance, and the temptations of Jazz Age New York—and the story of a girl about to become the mistress of her own destiny.

Most writers I know are nervous about their books going out into the world.  I worry, especially, when I know my book is being read by someone I respect and admire.  Which is why the following blurbs brought tears to my eyes when I read them:

"There's no secret about it: I loved this book! From its glittering start to its breathtaking finish, Charlotte and Janie are intriguing, wonderful protagonists. Downton Abbey, watch out! Adventure awaits!"
   —Jillian Larkin, author of The Flappers series

"Manor of Secrets is a delicious Edwardian novel loaded with exquisite historical detail. Longshore's characters are nuanced, well drawn and enjoyable through and through. A must read!"
   —Teri Brown, author of Born of Illusion

They definitely make me look forward to the new year!

But of course, I'm not just looking forward to my own books coming out next year, I'm looking forward to many, many more, including A MAD, WICKED FOLLY by Sharon Biggs Waller, INTO THE STILL BLUE by Veronica Rossi, THE SOUND OF LETTING GO by Stasia Ward Kehoe, LADY THIEF by A.C. Gaughen...And those are just in the next few weeks!

So leave a comment below, telling me what books you are most looking forward to in 2014, and enter to win! (open to U.S. and Canada only--sorry International folks! Hopefully the next one!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

LAUNCH PARTY!

Save the date!

I've just confirmed that the MANOR OF SECRETS launch party will be held at the Avid Reader, 617 Second Street, Davis, CA 95616 on

Saturday, January 25 at 3 pm.

That is three days before the actual release date!  So if you want an early copy, some cake, a lot of book chat and maybe a reading or two, I'd love to see you there!

If you have any questions, want to reserve a copy (or even have one sent to you), call the Avid Reader (530)758-4040

And heck back here on the 26th for a special giveaway!

What Now?

I just sent in copyedits for Book 3.  This means I'm finished.  I will get one more look at the manuscript--after it is formatted and proofread.  At that point, I can make minor changes (a word here, a punctuation mark there).  But the heavy lifting is done.  The story is complete.

This is also the end of the series.  I've fulfilled my contract.  Three books set in the court of Henry VIII. This altogether thrilling, fulfilling and terrifying.

It's a little like starting a new book.  First drafts are difficult and scary and exciting.  And the big question that comes up every days is, "What Happens Next?"

Lucky for me, I received ARCs for MANOR OF SECRETS this week.  The arrival of actual, bound copies that really look like a book is always mind-blowing. Every. Single. Time. Plus it means I've got promotional stuff to do, bookmarks to be made, interviews, meeting new people, talking about books... There is plenty to keep me busy.

However, as much as I enjoy talking about my books, I love writing them more.  I need a new project.  One that grabs me by the throat and won't let me go.  One where I can lose myself in the characters and their lives. And I think I may have found it.

Now that I've fulfilled my contract, I can write about anything.  This is such a gift.  But it also a bit like leaping into the great unknown.  Starting something new--something entirely new and utterly different--feels a little bit like this:

But don't you think that just for a moment, that cat feels like it can fly?  That is also how starting a new book feels.

If you live in the Bay Area and want to know more about What Happens Next, author CJ Omololu and I will be discussing that very topic at the Walnut Creek SCBWI meeting on August 31. Come and ask questions!

MANOR OF SECRETS

As most of you probably know, the announcement went out this week about my newest project.

Author of GILT and upcoming TARNISH, Katherine Longshore's MANOR OF SECRETS, pitched as a Downtonesque story of two girls living in very different worlds within the same Edwardian country house -- and what happens when those worlds collide, to Aimee Friedman at Scholastic, by Catherine Drayton at Inkwell Management (World). (From Publisher's Marketplace).

This is the story, written from alternating points of view, of Charlotte Edmonds--the daughter of the Earl of Edenbridge--and Janie Seward--the daughter of his cook and The Manor's kitchen maid.  It has been an absolute delight to work on and a real stretch for me as a writer.  The two points of view, the completely different historical period, writing in third person.  But it has also been just plain fun--so very different to write about people who don't eventually get executed for treason. :)

I hope you enjoy it, too.  It's currently scheduled to be released in February 2014, and I'll be sure to be telling you all about it between now and then!